AI Drones Shift From Exception to Default in Australian Rescue Response

Fire and Rescue NSW located two missing hikers in Kosciuszko National Park on June 25 using an AI-equipped thermal imaging drone. The operation underscores a broader shift: as drone and AI costs fall, emergency services now treat aerial deployment as routine early-response protocol rather than rationing it for resource scarcity. This changes how mountains, forests, and remote terrain get searched.